Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy says next James Bond 'should be a woman'

Irish actor officially rules himself out of playing British spy

Cillian Murphy has discredited rumours he’ll play the next James Bond as he believes the role should go to a woman.

In a new interview with the The Guardian, the Peaky Blinders star said: “I think it should be a woman, which rules me out.”

He added: “The thing about it is, if you say anything about Bond, it becomes a headline, right? There’s a whole other industry which is completely separate from the film side of things, and that’s the bookies.”

The actor has previously been widely tipped to take over Daniel Craig as the next 007 alongside Idris Elba and Bodyguard star Richard Madden.

Aidan Turner, Tom Hiddleston and Gillian Anderson’s names have also been linked to the role.

Last month, The Independent reported that Captain Marvel star Lashana Lynch will be introduced in the forthcoming Bond film as a female version of the British spy.

Murphy will next be seen on the small screen as Thomas Shelby in BBC gangster drama Peaky Blinders. The fifth series is expected to return later this month